


the light on your door (to show that you're home)

by boyscoutpaladin



Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series)
Genre: . look i know that there arent really any of these in this fandom, F/M, Getting Together, Multi, Pre-Relationship, Reader-Insert, asking hot wizard bisexuals for magic advice, going on runs with someone because you're into them, overall just kind of being a bisexual disaster, whatever!!! me and my friend want to have a fun valentines day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:21:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29415546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boyscoutpaladin/pseuds/boyscoutpaladin
Summary: You're a newly-inducted member of the Unsleeping City. Two other New Yorkers, Ricky and Esther, befriend you and help you adjust to your new way of life. The only problem is that you really like both of them... and they're already dating each other. As if learning that magic is real didn't make your life complicated enough.
Relationships: Reader/Ricky Matsui/Esther Sinclair, Ricky Matsui/Esther Sinclair
Comments: 3
Kudos: 6





	the light on your door (to show that you're home)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NerdyBirdy6602](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdyBirdy6602/gifts).



> this is for my best friend birdy best friend if ur reading this i love u
> 
> and to everyone else: i hope you like it too :-)
> 
> title is from i'll be your mirror by the velvet underground
> 
> btw, the reader is a bard/wizard in this fic
> 
> enjoy !!

It had almost been a month since you learned that magic is real. You also learned that the two hottest, nicest, overall greatest people in New York City _also_ know that magic is real. Not only that, but they were actively trying to become friends with you and help you adjust to your new way of life. This would’ve been a dream come true except for the fact that these two people were already dating each other and also were the most perfect couple on the face of the earth. 

Esther was actually one of the first members of the Unsleeping City that you ever met. She and Pete approached you after a show one night, complimenting you on your performance and asking you to sign their playbills. Esther told you she was the Chairwoman of something called the Gramercy Occult Society. She handed you a business card and told you to give her a call if you were interested in learning more about the society and what they do. You went home, texted the number, and the two of you set up a meeting for the next day at a coffee shop in Clinton Hill. You weren’t totally sure about what she did, but you had some free time and a desire to see the very attractive, very well-dressed woman with the streak of blue hair a second time. 

You arrived at the coffee shop and immediately spotted Esther, who smiled and waved at you when you came in. You got your coffee before coming over to her table, greeting her, and sitting down. Your best guesses were that she would try to sell you something, or get you to join some kind of millennial cult, or even convince you to go to church - based on her style and general demeanor, this last option seemed most unlikely.

An hour and a half later, your coffee sat on the table, half-finished and now cold. You were slumped back in your seat, still trying to take in all of the information that Esther had just presented you with.

“I know it’s a lot, at first,” she said, a sympathetic look in her eye. “Sometimes it can still be a lot even when you’re not first hearing about it.” She leaned forward in her seat, looking right into your eyes and commanding all of your attention. “But you have a special talent. You could gain more control of it, learn more about it. And you could use that talent to help other people, if you wanted.” She reclined in her seat, but still looked at you intensely. “But, of course, it’s your choice. I can’t make you do anything you don’t want to.” She raised one eyebrow, almost expectantly. “So. What do you think? Are you interested?”

Despite the fact that your entire worldview had just been cracked into countless, tiny pieces, you only had to think for a moment before responding. “Hell yes.”

The day after that first meeting with Esther, she brought you to the Gramercy Occult Society for the first time and showed you some of the society’s priceless artifacts and books. She began to explain the city’s rich magical history, and you began to wonder exactly how you would fit into it. She gave you some readings, added you to a group text chain with other members of the Unsleeping City, and your life was never the same.

* * *

During your first-ever battle as a member of the Unsleeping City, you learned the hard way that you were severely out of shape. 

Sure, you walked pretty much everywhere, and you danced regularly when you were in a musical. Getting to the subway station every day and dance rehearsals twice a week, however, did NOT prepare you for sprinting away from a giant sewage monster for several miles. You were able to cast spells and help the rest of the party defeat the monster, but only barely. When the monster finally dissolved and sloshed through a sewer grate back into the depths below, you immediately doubled over, breathing hard and sweating through your shirt and trying so, so hard not to throw up in front of the coolest people you had ever met. 

You felt a strong hand on your shoulder and were suddenly filled with a wave of warm, golden magic that made it easier for you to finally catch your breath. When you looked up, you were greeted by the beautiful face of Ricky Matsui. His eyes were kind, but his mouth was downturned in a worried expression. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” you huffed, and you don’t know if your throat had ever felt drier. “Just. Out of shape, I guess.”

Ricky tilted his head sympathetically. “Yeah, I know some of us had a really tough time when we first started fighting. I mean, I used to be a firefighter, so it wasn’t ever too hard for me, but even Pete and Kingston still get worn out during fights sometimes.”

If it had been anybody else in the world talking, you would’ve wanted to deck them in the face. But, because it was Ricky, and you knew that he was nothing but genuine, it just came across as utterly charming. It was still annoying, though, to try and ignore the feeling of your stomach flipping upside down at how considerate he was being. “That does make me feel a little better, thanks.” You finally stood all the way back up and wiped a new layer of sweat from your forehead. “I think I might start running, or something.”

“You know,” Ricky said, “I go on a run pretty much every morning. If you want a running buddy, we could do it together.” 

You were a little taken aback by his blunt kindness; you still weren’t entirely used to how genuinely nice he was. “Really?”

He smiled. “Yeah! You should take today and tomorrow off, so your body has a chance to recover, but we can start first thing Monday at 6:30 A.M.! Is that alright with you?”

You internally grimaced at the thought of waking up that early just to torture your body. But you had a feeling that it might always be near-impossible for you to turn down Ricky Matsui. “Yeah, works for me,” you said, and you actually found it wasn’t too hard to sound excited about it.

He gave you a solid clap on the shoulder, and you were so weak it felt like it almost knocked you over. “See you then!” He gave you one last grin before jogging over to Esther, who was casting Mending on the pavement that saw damage earlier in the fight. Ricky came up behind her, easily scooped her up in his arms, and lifted her up. She laughed, surprised and bright, and immediately wrapped her arms around his neck. They kissed, looking incredibly beautiful and happy and perfect together.

You looked down, noticed some slime residue on your shoe, and tried to wipe it off on the concrete. It only kind of worked. You let out a sigh.

* * *

As wonderful as Ricky Matsui was, he could not change the fact that running was maybe the worst activity anyone could ever do, ever. You didn’t understand how he had so much energy this early in the morning, when the sky was gray and there was a thin mist coating the streets and the city was almost as quiet as it ever got.

He met you outside of your apartment. He _ran_ to your apartment. And then went on _another_ run, with you. And he had to _slow down_ for you. You almost started to feel embarrassed about it, but you reminded yourself that Ricky was a beautiful freak of nature that was just inclined to excel at things like this. You got lost in the sound of his voice as he told you a story from his fire-fighting days. When your left shin started to cramp up, you internally cursed Ricky and the rest of the city. You immediately took back the curse and internally apologized to him. Ricky didn’t even seem to notice your inner turmoil or your outer struggle to keep up with him. He just kept moving. You followed alongside him as the sun slowly started to come up over the city.

It turned into a routine. Three times a week, Ricky jogged across the city and met you outside of your apartment building. You would run together for about an hour and stop at a health food place to buy slightly overpriced smoothies. Then, Ricky would walk you home, wave, and jog off to the next part of his day, still seemingly full of boundless energy. You would stumble into your tiny apartment, shower, and collapse on the couch until you had to get up for work.

But all the hard work helped; you started to see an improvement. You weren’t, like, keeping track of anything in exact terms, but the runs did get easier. You were less winded during dance rehearsals. And, most notably, you didn’t want to give up during battles anymore and let whatever creature you were fighting take you out right then and there.

A few months after the sludge monster fight, you, Kingston, Sofia, and Ricky were fighting zombies in the Marble Cemetery. You were positioned near the gates, tossing out Bardic Inspirations and Cure Wounds when needed. Suddenly, you saw a swarm of zombies come up behind Sofia on the other side of the graveyard. You knew she was a very capable fighter, and she was able to take down almost all of them, but the last one struck her across the back of the head with its fist and knocked her unconscious. She slumped to the ground beside the zombies she had just incapacitated.

Without thinking, you began to sprint toward her. You deftly leapt over headstones, trying to take the fastest path to get to her. As you rushed past Kingston, he laughed and shouted, “Hey, alright, kid, you’ve got some speed now!” 

You flashed him a smile and shouted back, “Thank Ricky!” You looked over to where Ricky had just cut a zombie down with his axe. At the mention of his name, he looked up, saw you, and flashed you a thumbs up. 

You were so enamored that you almost jumped over where Sofia was lying on the ground. You snapped back into focus, getting down to touch her on the shoulder and bring her back to consciousness. You placed your hands on Sofia’s shoulder and they glowed a dull maroon. You thought about getting a standing ovation at curtain call, and how infinitely powerful and energized you always felt in those moments. After a second, Sofia gasped and her eyes flutter open. 

Her eyes focused and she smiled up at you. “Thanks,” she said as you moved back and reached your hand down to help her stand back up. “I owe you a haircut,” she said with a wink, and she rushed off to help Ricky take down the last remaining zombies.

The fight ended shortly after that; Ricky and Sofia made quick work of the last remaining zombies. Kingston healed everyone up and the group agreed to reconvene at the Occult Society the next morning for a debrief. Kingston looked at you and said, “You gonna be okay getting home this late?”

“Uh,” you said as you pulled your phone out to check the time. It was almost two in the morning. “Uh, I’ll probably be fine, but -”

“I can walk you home,” Ricky said, quickly, and Sofia and Kingston briefly gave him an odd look. “I mean,” he said, in his normal voice, “I can make sure you get home alright.”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to do that,” you said, even as you felt your insides turn to slush at the thought of Ricky going out of his way just to keep you safe.

“No, really, I don’t mind,” he insists. You looked at Kingston, who raised his eyebrows. You looked at Sofia, who shrugged. You looked at Ricky, whose face was as genuine and kind as ever. 

“Alright,” you said. “I’ll take you up on that. Thanks.”

Kingston looked at all of you and said, “Well, good night. Get some rest, and we’ll meet tomorrow.” He stepped to the edge of the sidewalk and barely even lifted his hand before a cab pulled up. The three of you waved as he slid into the backseat and took off.

Sofia turned to face the two of you. “Get home safe. Call me if you need anything.” You and Ricky both nodded as you watched Sofia walk away and turn around the corner of the cemetery walls. When you walked by that spot a few moments later, she was gone.

Ricky, true to his word, walked you all the way back to your apartment. It took nearly an hour, and Ricky didn’t complain once, and he waited outside the glass door until you got all the way inside and up the stairs. You tried to ignore how much you liked it.

* * *

It took about five minutes of walking through the grand halls of the Gramercy Occult Society before you finally found Esther. She was at a long table with various stacks of books and papers surrounding her. She was carefully reading a book and taking notes, but looked up when she heard you in the doorway. “Oh, hey! Come in!” 

She beckoned you over, and you crossed the room to where she was sitting. “I hope I’m not interrupting you.”

“Not at all,” she said, and she sounded like she meant it. She scribbled one final note before closing both her notebook and the ancient book in front of her. She looked up at you, giving you her full attention. It was almost overwhelming. Her eyes were such a gorgeous shade of brown.

You forced your brain to get back on task as she continued speaking. “So, what’s up?”

“Well,” you said, “I know that my thing is, like, theater magic. Art and performance.”   
  
“Right,” she said, still listening intently.

“But I was wondering if…” You trailed off, wondering if you’d sound stupid. But you knew that even if you asked the dumbest question in the entire world, Esther would never make you feel like you did. “I was wondering if there was a way for me to learn other kinds of magic? Like, the magic that you do.”

Esther’s eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise. “Oh. Well, I think that’s doable.” She paused, then said, “Can I ask why you’re interested in it?”

“I don’t have a good reason, I guess,” you said. “I mean, you’re a very powerful wizard, and I know I won’t be at your level anytime soon, but the spells you cast are just incredible, and I’m really interested in looking at magic from a different perspective, and I wonder if the feeling of casting those kinds of spells would be different or if they would physically manifest differently or -” You cut yourself off, because Esther’s eyes had become very wide now and she hadn’t said anything for a minute.

“Sorry,” you said. “That was probably too much.”

“No,” she said, and she reached out her hand to put on top of yours where it rested on the table. “This is the best thing I have heard today and possibly even this week. I love this idea, I’m glad you came to me with this. Let’s do this.”

You felt your face heat up as you tried not to obsess over Esther’s hand on yours. “Really?”

“Absolutely,” she said. “I have a few books I think you’ll really like.” With that, she stood up from her chair and started to make her way back into the endless stacks of books, not letting go of your hand. You gave up on trying to distance yourself from your physical form and tried to enjoy it; it was a nice feeling, the way she held your hand. It left you feeling all warm on the inside, even after your arms were filled with books and you made it all the way back to your apartment

* * *

You started spending a lot of time at Esther and Ricky’s apartment. It was a really nice place; the large windows allowed in a lot of natural light, there were plants everywhere, and the softest blanket in the entire world resided on the arm of their living room couch. It started out of convenience, since their apartment was a lot closer to you than the library and a lot of your questions couldn’t really be explained or answered over the phone. 

So, for a few hours every week, you would come over to their apartment and study with Esther. Well, what would actually happen is that Esther would do a lot of very complicated research and examining of powerful artifacts while you sat at their kitchen counter and tried to cast Comprehend Languages on a French news article you’d pulled up on your laptop. It wasn’t anywhere near what Esther was doing in terms of power or significance, but she never let you feel like what you were doing was unimportant. She always answered your questions patiently and thoroughly. In return, you listened to her when she needed to take a break from endless reading and writing. Giving her a space to talk through her problems out loud helped her make connections faster, and you couldn’t help but feel a warm pride in your chest when Esther’s eyes would light up at something you said and she’d rush to write it down in her notes.

Sometimes Ricky was there during these study sessions, especially the ones that stretched into the evening. He always asked how your studying was going, and he was always eager to hear about the progress you’d made. Whenever you’d start to explain something in-depth, his eyes would glaze over in a clueless-but-reverential expression, and when you were done talking, he would give you a smile so beautiful that it made it hard to breathe for a second.

These two-hour study sessions turned into study sessions and dinner, which turned into studying-dinner-movie-nights, and it wasn’t until you woke up on their couch one morning for the first time that you really registered that things had distinctly changed. When you woke up and realized where you were, you found an extra blanket on top of you and a pillow under your head that hadn't been there when you fell asleep the night before. 

You reached for your phone on the coffee table where you remembered leaving it, but you couldn’t find it. You finally sat up and stretched. You were about to make an earnest attempt to find your phone when you heard Ricky’s voice from the kitchen. “Oh! You’re awake! Do you want eggs?”

You turned your head to see Ricky standing at the stove and giving you a bright smile. Esther was at the kitchen counter, already typing away on her computer.

“Um,” you said, eloquently. “Yes, thank you. Do you know where my phone is?”

“It’s up here,” Esther said without looking away from her screen. “I plugged it in so it wouldn’t die.”

“Oh, thank you,” you said, and you’re so stunned by the simple yet thoughtful kindness that you didn’t actually get off of the couch until Ricky announced that the food was ready. You finally got up and shuffled toward the kitchen.

“Plates are in there,” Esther said, pointing to a certain set of cabinets. “Do you mind getting three?” 

“Yeah, sure,” you said, and you pulled them down. “Silverware?”

Esther directed you to the right drawer, Ricky started making your plates, and you all moved to sit at the small dining table by one of the large windows. 

You’d been living on your own in the city for a few years now. You’d gotten used to doing most things by yourself. You hadn’t even had any serious relationships within the last few years. 

But while you were sitting at this table with Ricky and Esther, talking and laughing, you couldn’t help but notice how natural and comfortable it felt. Like you’ve done it a hundred times before. 

The conversation suddenly got quiet, and you could feel Esther and Ricky both looking at you. You snapped out of your thoughts and looked back and forth between them. “What -”

And then you saw it. Small, dark red sparkles floated in the air around the three of you and above the table. You glanced down at your hands and saw a few more float off of your fingertips. It reminded you of snow.

You felt like you should say something - an apology, maybe - but you stopped when you looked at their faces again. When you looked at them, they were looking right back, and all you saw was affection. Curiosity and wonder, too, but you were mostly overwhelmed that they were looking at you like you were the greatest thing they’d ever seen.

Esther gave Ricky a quick look that you couldn’t decipher, and he gave a small nod. Esther turned back to you and, slowly, so that you could pull away if you wanted to, reached out and took your hand in hers. You interlaced your fingers with hers. Ricky reached across the table with his hand, too, and you moved your other hand to take it. The three of you sat there for a few moments, just taking in the morning and the light and the way it felt to be together in that moment.

* * *

A week later, they asked you out on an official date. Esther looked as cool and put-together as she normally did, and Ricky was especially dressed up and slightly nervous in a button-up and pants. They took you to a nice Italian restaurant, you had a lovely meal, and they asked you if you wanted to be their partner. You said yes, because of course, and the way they both smiled at you when you said that made you feel a little dizzy with happiness. They walked you home and kissed you on the cheek on the doorstep outside your apartment building. As you pulled open the glass door, you looked back at them for a moment. Ricky waved enthusiastically and Esther just beamed at you. You smiled for the hundredth time that night and let the door fall shut behind you.

So that was when it started, officially. But you thought about that morning in their apartment with the sparks flitting around in the air. That was when it really started, to you. That was the first time that you really felt it: that feeling, that energy, that spark of happiness that you got every time you’re with the two of them. 

It felt, for lack of a better word, like magic.

**Author's Note:**

> birdy and i decided to write each other tuc throuple self insert fics for valentines day because it is one of my favorite holidays and also because we are both insane. she has standards so i wrote her this reader/ricky/esther fic. birdy u deserve them you truly do
> 
> meanwhile i am a sewer rat who is attracted to stupid transmasc people who Fucked Around with magic and Found Out. so she wrote me a reader/pete/cody fic. she had to “listen to cody playlists on spotify to try and understand this man”. please honor her dedication to the craft by checking out her fic and her ao3 page @nerdybirdy6602 
> 
> my dnd twitter is @boyscoutpaladin if you want to watch me be insane on there
> 
> thanks if you read this far, i hope you liked the fic! :-)
> 
> and happy valentines day, birdy <3 thank u for indulging me on this holiday that u despise and i ardently adore. i love u <3


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